What Are the Three Main Principles of Greek Aesthetics?

The three principles of Greek aesthetics are proportion, movement and balance, according to the New World Encyclopedia. These principles were developed to show poise, musculature and anatomically correct proportions.

The Greek philosopher Plato thought beauty rested in proportion, harmony and unity. Harmony represents the balance aspect of Greek aesthetics; it is also labeled symmetry. Unity is representative of the movement aspect, otherwise known as rhythm. Subsequently, Aristotle, Plato’s student, felt order, symmetry and definiteness were the main principles of aesthetics. Greek art captures the ideal forms of humans, using the symmetry of nature to bring out what the artists and their audiences considered aesthetically pleasing, according to the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy.